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Attention Uniform Police: Where does the district patch go on shirt?

01-09-2003, 09:35 AM

Our district has a name patch that is being worn (by adult leaders only) below the flag on right sleeve. Of course the inspection sheet mentions nothing about this patch or its placement. I have never seen any other district with such a patch.

Is this a "legal" patch for wear? If not, how might I prove that? Is there a quote in the insignia guide that says, "no patches allowed anywhere, other than temporary ones on right pocket, unless so noted in this guide."?

Page 4 of the Insignia Guide -- "Districts are operational arms of the local council. Individuals are not identified as residents of a district, but of the local council and the Boy Scouts of America. For this reason district insignia is not authorized for wear on the uniform."

Does this make me a uniform cop?

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Twocubdad
You are now the unoffical uniform cop. Your 1st mission if you decide to accept it, is to get all of the Scouters that use the term Class A, either to use the offical term Activity uniform, if they refuse, you have the power to set them straight. that symbol means tounge firmly in cheek!

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Interestingly, none of the phrases "Class A," "Class B," or "Activity Uniform" are mentioned in either the Insignia Guide or the Handbook. The only thing that comes close is page 13 of the Handbook which say for outdoor activites, Scouts may wear troop or camp T-shirts with the Scout pants or shorts.

Personally, I'd like to see BSA formalize the activity uniform or class B with a standard Polo-style shirt.

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If, indeed, you are the Uniform Police, what is the proper position for wearing the Uniform Police Badge?

The typical location for a Police Badge, left chest, is taken up with square knots, service stars, and the World Crest. Only badges of rank may be worn on the left pocket, and that is for youth members only. The right chest is proper for a name badge, but would look downright silly to stack a "Uniform Police" badge on top of it. And, since the right pocket is for temporary insignia only that rules it out.

Perhaps we could put it on our merit badge sashes when we wear them on our belts? No, wait, merit badge sashes are for youth only....

I got it - the red patch vest. No, that won't work - since "Uniform Police" would be considered a badge of office, that's a violation, too........

Before anyone enlists in the Uniform Police, someone will need to revise the insignia guide to show where the Uniform Police Badge goes!!! ;-)

(Tongue firmly and surgically embedded in cheek)

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Since it's not an official badge, it couldn't go on the uniform, unless your position of uniform police is temporary. Then it would go on the right pocket. You may have to go undercover.
What's that about the merit badge sash in the belt? Sounds like an infraction to me.

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TCD - are you telling me where I CAN put the badge, or where I SHOULD put the badge??? ;-)

ASM7 - You picked up on the merit badge sash "test" right away. You can skip latrine duty tomorrow. One question, though: if one did go undercover, how would one know one was in proper undercover uniform? ;-)

KWC57 - Are the "cheesy" hats those foam contraptions worn by Green Bay Packer fans? You know, that team that just lost its first home postseason game since Moses used Clearasil???

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I just cleaned out my closet and found my cheesy hat...the foam backing on the inside had disintegrated into powder and the hat is now a shapeless mass of cheap fabric in the landfill. Perhaps BSA is making uniforms which self-destruct after 10 years to kill the memorabilia market? I also re-discovered my uniform from the 60s...it's good as new and ready to wear...on a body much smaller! I appreciate those who are "down in the weeds" about patch placement, but having just attended a LLDC, we have a bigger challenge. The uniforming of the youth, supposedly our "cream of the crop", was atrocious. One particular example...a 17 year old Eagle Scout Vigil who looked like he was coming off a week-long bender. The day was 40 degrees with a stiff wind. ALL he was wearing was a wrinkled Venture shirt, a pair of blue jeans shorts, and flip-flops. (I assume he was wearing underwear, but I wouldn't swear to it. No OA sash, bare feet, no belt, scraggly beard, uncombed hair, etc. It was really embarrassing to this fellow Eagle and a 35 year Brotherhood member (me). And yes, his dad was also there...one of the movers and shakers in the Council. What really frosted me was that another adult had the gall to chew out one of MY young scouts (first class) for bringing his new CD player and listenting to tunes during the breaks. Yes, he had headphones on and ONLY had it out during breaks. It's no wonder younger scouts get fed up and disappear. This was his first Lodge function, having passed his ordeal in August. The message he received was "show up and get yelled at, but the older guys can do what they want".

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This thread highlights one of the problems with proper uniforming. The problem I have in mind is the willingness of local councils and districts to create insignia that are either inappropriate, in violation of the insignia guide, or simply too large to fit on the uniform or merit badge sash.

For example, in our area the San Francisco council (I forget its proper name) sponsers a high adventure award call "rim rovers". By hiking up to the top of designated peaks (Mount Saint Helena in Napa Valley, Mt. Diablo in Contra Costa County, Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, etc) one earns a large patch with "rockers" to go around the patch with the name of each peak. You add the rockers as you do more of the peaks. The central patch barely fits on the back of a merit badge sash, and the rockers add to the problem. This is a popular activity. Most troops in the area participate in this. But because of the sheer size of the patch you see it worn everywhere, including the back of the tan "class A" shirt.

People who design these things ought to restrain themselves and do things that make sense.